Cats of the Farm: The Pride Goes On

[dressagetraks]

This is Sarge, so named because he wears stripes, lying in the grass outside my office window and watching me.

Sarge is the oldest cat on the farm. He’s been seen around the place since 2010, and he was not a young cat then but a mature tom with a massive head. I finally was able to catch him in 2014 for his trip to the vet, and the vet didn’t even guess at the age, just “mature.” Also, “grumpy.” I remember them calling him that at the clinic. He was a long slow process to tame, and for years, he remained an intermittent drifter, kind of considering me as a Feline Motel 6 that would leave the light on for him.

For the last few years, he has stayed closer to the farm, relatively speaking. Still prowls in the immediate vicinity, doesn’t just lie on the porch, but I see him almost all days now rather than his former hobo lifestyle. Grizzled old fellow. He has to be mid teens if not upper teens. The stories he could tell, if he could speak.

He’s quite fond of me at this point. Knows a soft touch when he sees one, I guess.

[dressagetraks]

Ah, that ever popular Saturday feature, remaking the bed. People without cats must find this chore so boring. I’m sure it takes me four times longer, but I have at least four times as much fun doing it.

[dressagetraks]

From my evening meal tonight when I didn’t feel like preparing anything. I do NOT like cooking. If it takes 30 minutes and tastes six times better than if it takes five minutes, I’ll go with the five. Anyway, tonight’s least-effort-possible meal of tuna and applesauce scored quite highly on the feline radar, at least as far as the tuna. Nonetheless, the Feline Household Commandments are always maintained. Per the Second Commandment, food in my possession is mine, period, amen, end of discussion. The cats can only approach so far (and he is precisely at that allowable distance here). Polite and respectful cats may sit and watch me eat, but they don’t get anything until I finish.

Pilgrim knows the Commandments to perfection. And yes, he got a bite at the end. He’s a good boy.

Pilgrim Second Commandment

[shiloh]

I wish my cats were as obedient as yours. Every. single. morning - every morning - Duncan sits on my legs (I have to eat on the couch) and tries to steal my breakfast. He gets his paw either slapped or put back multiple multiple times and still he tries. Even when I “punish” him by making him get down, he sits on the floor and tries to grab at my plate. SO annoying. He gets the plate in the end but you would think he would get fed up with being shouted at and having his paw slapped over and over and over. Maybe i should show him this video. lol

[dressagetraks]

Helping me weed the garden.

Double checking my work.

Bagheera contemplates the coming evening on the Bench of Purring.

[shiloh]

I have to get that counted cross stitch pattern! I love it.

[dressagetraks]

Dimensions 'Frederick the Literate' Snoozing Cat Counted Cross Stitch Kit, 14...

It’s a neat one. I have a reserved spot waiting on the library wall.

[Rackonteur]

A good steady rain (no thunder or lightning) this time of year calls for wellies, raincoat and New Zealand canvas hat, and trekking poles.
If chilly as well as wet, fleece jacket under raincoat.

I wish my cat could come on woodland walks with me!

[dressagetraks]

Atticus wondering why the fan stopped when I was shutting down the office last night.

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On these very high heat and humidity days, Rascal doesn’t go on my walk with me. She follows me to the gate, then stops. When I come back up top, she picks me up at the berry patch. Smart girl. She doesn’t need the full walk in a fur coat on days like this. I have to change clothes when I get back in myself. I love heat, but I am aware of the current conditions even while enjoying them. She’s better off skipping it right now.

Solo and Pharaoh being bookends. The two horse drawings above, the one on the left is from Japan. The one on the right is from Korea. The Japanese one was a gift from a friend; the Korean one was ordered by my retired Colonel brother. Back when he wasn’t retired, he was stationed in South Korea one year, and he said that locals would hang around outside the gate trying to sell food, crafts, or whatever to the soldiers whenever they would leave base, at prices which seemed staggeringly low to my brother. Brother found this guy who did charcoal drawings on rice paper, and he ordered drawings for everybody for Christmas presents that year. Mine, of course, was requested to be horses.

[dressagetraks]

A FB memory that popped up today from several years ago.

As I was having my mow, I accidentally turned the cats’ yard water dish over. I was moving it over with my foot to mow the area around it, and it caught and upended. I growled and made a mental note to refill it when I finished my daily mow time in another fifteen minutes. Note that the cats do have two other water dishes on the place. This could wait 15 minutes, even on a moderately warm day.

I noticed a few laps later that Cotton had come over to the dish and was sniffing it. He then, as I watched, turned it back over, climbed in, and sat upright in it. He stayed sitting there, looking straight at me, until I finished my mow and got a freshly filled container of water and brought it over. Then he stepped aside. When I filled it, he lay down next to the dish. Didn’t take a drink; he wasn’t thirsty. He was just calling the State of Affairs to my attention.

Protesting, cat style. Nonviolent, highly effective.

[Rackonteur]

I love that. I used to have the afghan and matching sofa pillow.

[dressagetraks]

This is my granddaddy’s desk from his study. It is older than I am. I keep assorted cat-themed knick knacks on it.

[shiloh]

I like the really life like knick knack in the corner. lol

[dressagetraks]

Nothing like having to hand deliver treats to a few of the pride. Pilgrim is both the oldest cat indoors and also the epicure. He likes to nibble daintily at a treat for a few bites, and he often gets pushed aside when more aggressive, vacuum-cleaner felines are gobbling the general admission treat scatter. He figured out pretty quickly that I would bring him a treat to have privately, so he simply stopped responding to treat call 75% of the time and waits for me to provide room service. He has me excellently trained. Since he could use another few pounds, I always try to make sure he gets his share.

Solo, now, was just being lazy this morning.

Psalm, as ever, was not being lazy this morning.

Special Delivery Treats

[dressagetraks]

I was recently putting up the last of the things from a trip to the store, which included cough drops to refill the pouch I keep in my purse. Very useful for a singer, totally aside from any illness. So I tore open the packet of cough drops, then looked down. Oops. Guess what else comes in rustling packages this size.

And last night, I got a message from a good friend. She had a friend who lives alone and has acquired a cat, and she was telling this friend about my Feline Household Commandments and that my house cats do obey them. Friend was quite interested; she also works from home and would love to have off limits things like the keyboard. So my friend was asking me if she could copy/send a few relevant paragraphs from my cats book. I told her that was fine as long as she credited it, and I do appreciate her asking permission. I wish her the best with her endeavors at Feline Household Commandments. I really think the vital part of that equation, though, is the living alone piece. It only works because of absolute consistency, and if your housemates have a variable expectations system, which most human roommates I’ve ever had did (even including Mom), it’s never going to work.

Here’s Sabra, the Ultimate Cat, the one who first made me think of Feline Household Commandments - for subsequent cats, not for her. Her absolute (and voluntary) reliability on certain subjects was so convenient that I wanted to reproduce it, although I have no delusions. Sabra respected limits because she wanted to please me. Subsequent cats respect limits because I’m right there enforcing them, and they would happily violate them if I turned my back.

And here, for a summer picture, are three cats watching me eat ice cream. The lusting is strong in this one, and they are parked right at the allowed distance, but they know better than to move.

[dressagetraks]

At lunch break, I pulled out the boot tray by the front door that holds my farm boots so I could thoroughly sweep and mop the area by the door.

This, of course, makes it an entirely new item in the house. Familiar stuff moved five feet becomes brand new stuff and must have a new cat scan.

[singingamy]

What bread is that?
Such a cutie! Does he spend a lot of time outside? Do you have a GPS tracker for him.
We would like to choose one for our Bengal cat from this list https://www.catfoodpoint.com/best-cat-gps-tracker/, would love to hear some recommendations.

[dressagetraks]

Cotton is a certified Craigslist special. He and his nearly identical brother were advertised as “white” kittens. Usual accuracy of the internet applies there. Cat Lady, the home health client I was seeing six days a week, wanted them to complete her color scheme because she didn’t have white. He came to live with me after her death.

[dressagetraks]

The First Feline Commandment.

This is Mary the spook. Every now and then, she suddenly has a pet-me attack and becomes snuggly for 1 minute. Then she’s off again. Her personality amuses me. Aloof and a deep thinker, with occasional affection only when she wishes. I like it.

Mary First Feline Commandment